Notting Hill

Notting Hill is one of the most famous examples of gentrification. In a BBC article from last year, it was argued that Portobello Road (in Notting Hill) is the UK’s most gentrified street. Looking at the bustling urban area with grand houses and the occasional blue front door as it is today, it is hard to believe Notting Hill used to be one of the worst slums in London.

In the mid-eighteenth century Notting Hill was a hamlet known for its gravel pits and roadside inns. Urbanisation, in the form of industrialisation, brought workers from the countryside and as such, landlords built tiny terraced houses to supply demand and rent to the poor. During the Victorian times the area was a rough, working class area. The 1950s was when it hit the all-time low for deprivation and slums.

The abolition of rent control in 1957 triggered the start of gentrification in Notting Hill. Many landlords bullied their tenants into leaving, so they could cash in on the lucrative housing market. Since then (and particularly in the more recent decades) gentrification has been on the up, as have the house prices. However, it’s not completely unaffordable housing. In an attempt to re-enforce the diversity of the Notting Hill neighbourhood and to maintain controlled rents and ensure some housing remains affordable, Housing Associations have kept a strong hold.

The movie “Notting Hill” with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts helped to popularise the area with people around the globe. This tempted movie stars, singers, fashion designers and media types to the area further gentrifying it (or as the BBC put in their article - Super Gentrifying it). Both bench scenes in the movie show off Notting Hill’s secluded communal gardens better than any estate agent could. The gardens, which are sandwiched between the rows of houses, are, as Hugh Grant’s character in the movie points out, barely visible from the street. These gardens make the area very popular with families. 

Within Notting Hill is the world’s most famous market - Portobello Road. Since 1837 the market (technically several markets one after another) has sold just about anything you could wish to buy. In the 1971 film ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ the characters visit Portobello Road in an attempt to find the other half of a spell-book. Along the way, the characters discover what Portobello Road is all about - below is a video clip of the Portobello Road scene. It is 10 minutes long… but from about half way through it is just dancing!!!

The topic in teaching…

The film Notting Hill is rated 15… and some of the key scenes for showing off the geography of Notting Hill have some choice language, so wouldn’t be something I’d show (there are only a few really good scenes for geographical use anyway!!). The scene about Portobello Road from ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ however is a classic and would be really good to introduce the topic and also to show the difference between before and after gentrification.

References 

http://brooksbankgeographyyr13.wikispaces.com/Case+Study+-+Gentrification

http://www.ipglobal-ltd.com/investor-centre/investment-newsletter/regeneration-and-gentrification-in-london.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18394017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYBECKl0zFo

http://www.suitcasemag.com/post/cinematic-hotspots-notting-hill--547/

http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/09/13/notting-hill-hugh-grants-house-with-the-blue-door/